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My Tents - a Review (and a bit about pegs)

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    • My Tents - a Review (and a bit about pegs)

      Okay I'm still trying work this out. I can't get the text in between the pics.

      So I'm going to put all the text bits in here at the start and if I work it out edit it later

      Will try and do it in order of pics. Please note: all tent weights are everything tent includes EXCEPT pegs and hiking poles if set up requires it. (i.e suffsacks etc except for SMD for which I have no stuffsack).
      Weights were done on my scale immediately after striking tents on the day.
      Tent peg numbers are what I consider the minimum you need and recommended tent peg number if included is the minimum I would recommend.

      Please note: It was windy and all tents were pitched loosely and quickly with minimum pegs for these photos.
      I would do a better job before sleeping in any of them.

      Tent peg pic. Left to right.
      7gm titanium peg (came with Sidewinder stove) Light but minimal grip, bendable.
      8gm Titanium peg - as above.
      10gm Big Agnes peg. 10gms includes string. My favourite peg.
      12gm Aluminium peg. Good holding performance. Bend resistant.
      11gm Hard anodised peg. As above.
      10gm solid aluminium peg. I got a lot of these with the cheap tent. Only a small "hook" but a solid somewhat thin peg. I like them as spares.
      15gm round aluminium peg. Okay but I find round pegs turn too easily.
      42gm aluminum sand peg. Don't laugh. Good to carry one for windward side on sandy pitches. Leave trowel home and carry with tp to justify weight.
      45gm steel peg. Useful around the house.


      Two pics of all the tents setup out the front.

      Three pics of Henry Shires Rainshadow 2 Tarptent.
      Weight: 1.156kg Minimum pegs 6.
      Requires 1 hiking pole. Recommend 2 hiking poles.
      One vestibule but some room at foot end.
      Not at all freestanding.
      This was one of two tarptents IM and I started AT with in 2013.
      Huge tent. Room for at least 3. Two of us and packs etc easy fit.
      I feel it is a 2 and a half season tent. Too airy for the cold weather (I was forced to almost spoon with IM - not something I care to remember). Didn't cope well with strong winds in the Smokeys and tore a side strap. I replaced with the Copper Spur 2 shortly after.

      Two pics of Henry Shires Double Rainbow Tarptent.
      Weight 1.105kg. Minimum pegs 6 but can be "freestanding" with two hiking poles, although vestibules hang loose. Useful for mosquito protection in a shelter etc.
      Two side vestibules.
      The other tent we started AT with. IM used it all the way. Great tent. Good value and roomy (we both fitted alright but packs filled vestibules). IM kept pack inside with him when alone. If not one of the best available tarptent of it's size, definitely a yardstick to judge others by.

      Two pics of Six Moons Design Tarptent (Lunar Solo? someone?)
      Weight: 771gms (no stuffsack) Minimum 6 pegs but 8 or 9 recommended.
      1 hiking pole required.
      One vestibule. Definitely not freestanding.
      This was gifted to me by another hiker recently and I haven't tried it (but have some plans) so limits what I can say.
      Bit small for my needs but shorter people would suit. The wind affected my pic with my poor pitch but I see the need for 8 or 9 pegs to hold tent out to maximise interior space. I see that as some erosion of it's low weight but I must say that it appears that it would be very robust for wind from 3 directions if properly pegged.


      Three pics of Big Agnes Copper Spur 2.
      Weight 1.445kg. Minimum pegs 4.
      Two side vestibules. Freestanding inner. Fly can be freestanding with vestibules draped.
      MY tent! Love it. Absolute luxury for one. Comfortable for two but vestibules a bit small for full packs. On Annie and my Cape to Cape I wrapped our packs in my tarp/poncho to keep them dry instead.
      This tent is essentially identical to MSR Hubba Hubba. It's pricey but worth it. I have the footprint but don't carry it anymore. Use a bit of tyvek instead.

      Two pics of Big Agnes Fly Creek 3 (followed by a shot of both BA tents)
      Weight: 1.392kg Minimum pegs 5, 7 recommended.
      Freestanding inner and outer but vestibule (One) drapes when freestanding.
      New addition to our range. From seeing them on AT and my experience with Copper Spur I would recommend smaller Fly Creek 2 as the best solo full featured tent for a thruhike. This one is a great tent with considerably more room than the CS 2. Many complain about the end vestibule instead of two side ones but I see no problem with it. I prefer it in fact. Next hike with Annie, I can leave the tarp/poncho home.

      Three pics of a Denali Zephyr One tent.
      Weight 1.552kg. Minimum Pegs 6.
      One vestibule. Not freestanding.
      Despite it's new look, the oldest tent here. It gets used little. May sell it.
      It is a typical cheap(ish) hiking tent as sold by local commercial outfitters geared more for car camping.
      Very small and cramped for weight (and hence more prone to condensation).
      But it's a tough little tent and I did my first solo tenting on the Bib in it. Could probably save over 100gms by ditching the stuffsacks (3).
      Love the little pegs that came with it.

      Any queries or comments feel free to make.
      Happy to get into argume discussion on any of it.
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      Resident Australian, proving being a grumpy old man is not just an American trait.

      The post was edited 3 times, last by OzJacko ().

    • pegs...the #2 is the one hikerboy had trouble with in high wind at Whigg Meadow. I had a combo of those and the 12gm aluminum pegs at Max Patch and mine also came loose in windy conditions (the aluminum ones did great). But, they were the easiest to use in the hard-packed ground at the campground.

      I've never seen the Big Agnes pegs for sale and my daughter's didn't come with them, neither did my Copper Spur 3. Where do you buy them?
      Lost in the right direction.
    • Astro wrote:

      Oz,
      Good job, but did you put this together originally for a local audience? All the weights are in kg instead of lb.
      When in the US I delve into my schoolyard memories and deal with your pounds and ounces.
      At home my scales are set to metric.
      Lots of conversion stuff out there but I have to do it all the time.
      Your turn. :)
      Resident Australian, proving being a grumpy old man is not just an American trait.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      pegs...the #2 is the one hikerboy had trouble with in high wind at Whigg Meadow. I had a combo of those and the 12gm aluminum pegs at Max Patch and mine also came loose in windy conditions (the aluminum ones did great). But, they were the easiest to use in the hard-packed ground at the campground.

      I've never seen the Big Agnes pegs for sale and my daughter's didn't come with them, neither did my Copper Spur 3. Where do you buy them?
      As Drybones has intimated, they are Easton pegs. Four came with the Copper Spur. Got another 4 with the Fly Creek (which we purchased second hand). I can't remember what others came with the CS. I usually carry 2 or 3 extras (the hard thin ones) and the sand peg when hiking in sandy areas. And yes the sand one travels in the tp bag if I carry it.
      Resident Australian, proving being a grumpy old man is not just an American trait.
    • Drybones wrote:

      OzJacko wrote:

      Okay I'm still trying work this out. I can't get the text in between the pics.
      That blue aluminum Easton stake is by far my choice of stakes, strong, easy on the hands to push in the ground and easy to get out...I replaced the standard 6" with 8" for more holding power in soft ground.
      Four of those came with my Tarptent. Which is odd, because you really need two more, to guy out the tent. Not that I'm a connoisseur of tent stakes, but they're plenty light and get the job done, so they work for me.
    • My wife Kathy and I use the Tarptent Rainshadow.
      You're right about it having a lot of ventilation and we like that feature, maybe because we hike with a dog.
      I've made one slight, unattached, modification that helps it maintain a tight pitch in all kinds of conditions.
      I took a 10 foot (I think) length of line and tied a loop in each end. Then I folded the line in half and slid a chord-lock over the 2 legs at the fold. Then I put 1 loop on each end of the rear pole at ground level. The line then gets put behind the stake at the rear of the tent and you snug it up by pulling it through the chord-lock. That prevents the ends of the rear pole from sliding forward.
      The Rainshadow has served us well for quite a few years. And our dog loves having her own window to look out at the foot end of the tent, where she lays.
    • Drybones wrote:

      OzJacko wrote:

      Okay I'm still trying work this out. I can't get the text in between the pics.
      That blue aluminum Easton stake is by far my choice of stakes, strong, easy on the hands to push in the ground and easy to get out...I replaced the standard 6" with 8" for more holding power in soft ground.
      The Easton stakes that came with my Tarptent are no longer in my Circle of Trust (as Tipi Walter would say) after an incident this winter when I discovered that the heads are only glued onto the stake body and the convenient hole they drilled for attaching rope only goes through the glued on head.

      On morning three of the Cafe hike in harriman one of my stakes was frozen solid into the ground. After doing the usual things to loosen it, I pulled on it with the rope loop and almost effortlessly pulled the head off the take. Unfortunately the rest of the stake was far enough into the ground that I was unable to make it budge and it is now a permanent resident of the West Mountain shelter area. Luckily this happened on the last day of the trip, since I needed that stake for my no-freestanding tent.

      I bought a couple kinds of stakes to try out as a replacement, but still need to play around with them more:
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
    • rafe wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      OzJacko wrote:

      Okay I'm still trying work this out. I can't get the text in between the pics.
      That blue aluminum Easton stake is by far my choice of stakes, strong, easy on the hands to push in the ground and easy to get out...I replaced the standard 6" with 8" for more holding power in soft ground.
      Four of those came with my Tarptent. Which is odd, because you really need two more, to guy out the tent. Not that I'm a connoisseur of tent stakes, but they're plenty light and get the job done, so they work for me.
      My Notch only requires four stakes, DR six, they may have gotten some stake bags mixed up and sent you a wrong bag, if your tent requires 6 call Henry and he'll send you two more.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
    • SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      OzJacko wrote:

      Okay I'm still trying work this out. I can't get the text in between the pics.
      That blue aluminum Easton stake is by far my choice of stakes, strong, easy on the hands to push in the ground and easy to get out...I replaced the standard 6" with 8" for more holding power in soft ground.
      The Easton stakes that came with my Tarptent are no longer in my Circle of Trust (as Tipi Walter would say) after an incident this winter when I discovered that the heads are only glued onto the stake body and the convenient hole they drilled for attaching rope only goes through the glued on head.
      On morning three of the Cafe hike in harriman one of my stakes was frozen solid into the ground. After doing the usual things to loosen it, I pulled on it with the rope loop and almost effortlessly pulled the head off the take. Unfortunately the rest of the stake was far enough into the ground that I was unable to make it budge and it is now a permanent resident of the West Mountain shelter area. Luckily this happened on the last day of the trip, since I needed that stake for my no-freestanding tent.

      I bought a couple kinds of stakes to try out as a replacement, but still need to play around with them more:
      I've had two come off, was on a 4-week hike with one and had to push it back on and handle with care until I got home and epoxyed it...even with that I love'um, better than torn up hand trying to get stakes in and out of the ground, the titanium stakes that came with one a Big Agnes tent lasted one camping till I bent most of them on hard soil.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
    • Drybones wrote:

      My Notch only requires four stakes, DR six, they may have gotten some stake bags mixed up and sent you a wrong bag, if your tent requires 6 call Henry and he'll send you two more.
      If you have the newer model of Notch, with the tensioners up by the ridge, then it really comes in handy to have a couple of lengths of Spectra cord and a couple more stakes, so that you can open both doors in hot weather, or guy the tent in a high wind.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.
    • SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      On morning three of the Cafe hike in harriman one of my stakes was frozen solid into the ground. After doing the usual things to loosen it, I pulled on it with the rope loop and almost effortlessly pulled the head off the take. Unfortunately the rest of the stake was far enough into the ground that I was unable to make it budge and it is now a permanent resident of the West Mountain shelter area. Luckily this happened on the last day of the trip, since I needed that stake for my no-freestanding tent.
      Gadzooks! I've managed not to do that to my Easton stakes yet. Let me know how your experiments go, since I'm probably heading off the same cliff.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.
    • rafe wrote:


      You can bet that the scientists and engineers who made that possible were using metric units.

      They were using an insane mix of units. I've seen Rankine for temperatures, a mix of nautical miles per hour, feet per second, and metres per second for velocities, and even specific impulses measured in seconds. (Pounds of force per pound mass of fuel burned per second -- AUGH! The SI unit would be m/s - newtons of force per kg of fuel burned per second.) Even today, US aeronautics has the same crazy mix. We've lost space probes because of misunderstandings.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.
    • AnotherKevin wrote:

      rafe wrote:

      You can bet that the scientists and engineers who made that possible were using metric units.
      They were using an insane mix of units. I've seen Rankine for temperatures, a mix of nautical miles per hour, feet per second, and metres per second for velocities, and even specific impulses measured in seconds. (Pounds of force per pound mass of fuel burned per second -- AUGH! The SI unit would be m/s - newtons of force per kg of fuel burned per second.) Even today, US aeronautics has the same crazy mix. We've lost space probes because of misunderstandings.
      Seconds (unit of time) are very much part of the metric system, are they not?
    • Astro wrote:

      Oz,
      Good job, but did you put this together originally for a local audience? All the weights are in kg instead of lb.
      Just divide kg by 2.2 and you'll have an approximation of lbs...

      AnotherKevin wrote:

      rafe wrote:

      You can bet that the scientists and engineers who made that possible were using metric units.
      They were using an insane mix of units. I've seen Rankine for temperatures, a mix of nautical miles per hour, feet per second, and metres per second for velocities, and even specific impulses measured in seconds. (Pounds of force per pound mass of fuel burned per second -- AUGH! The SI unit would be m/s - newtons of force per kg of fuel burned per second.) Even today, US aeronautics has the same crazy mix. We've lost space probes because of misunderstandings.
      As well as requiring a dead stick landing of an airliner when the pilot failed to properly convert his fuel load .

      Lest we forget.....



      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC
    • Dan76 wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      Oz,
      Good job, but did you put this together originally for a local audience? All the weights are in kg instead of lb.
      Just divide kg by 2.2 and you'll have an approximation of lbs...

      AnotherKevin wrote:

      rafe wrote:

      You can bet that the scientists and engineers who made that possible were using metric units.
      They were using an insane mix of units. I've seen Rankine for temperatures, a mix of nautical miles per hour, feet per second, and metres per second for velocities, and even specific impulses measured in seconds. (Pounds of force per pound mass of fuel burned per second -- AUGH! The SI unit would be m/s - newtons of force per kg of fuel burned per second.) Even today, US aeronautics has the same crazy mix. We've lost space probes because of misunderstandings.
      As well as requiring a dead stick landing of an airliner when the pilot failed to properly convert his fuel load .
      Known as The Gimli Glider.
      I don't remember if it was a Boeing 757 or 767, but either way it wasn't the perfect way to end a flight, but I guess it was better than the alternative!
    • LIhikers wrote:

      Dan76 wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      Oz,
      Good job, but did you put this together originally for a local audience? All the weights are in kg instead of lb.
      Just divide kg by 2.2 and you'll have an approximation of lbs...

      AnotherKevin wrote:

      rafe wrote:

      You can bet that the scientists and engineers who made that possible were using metric units.
      They were using an insane mix of units. I've seen Rankine for temperatures, a mix of nautical miles per hour, feet per second, and metres per second for velocities, and even specific impulses measured in seconds. (Pounds of force per pound mass of fuel burned per second -- AUGH! The SI unit would be m/s - newtons of force per kg of fuel burned per second.) Even today, US aeronautics has the same crazy mix. We've lost space probes because of misunderstandings.
      As well as requiring a dead stick landing of an airliner when the pilot failed to properly convert his fuel load .
      Known as The Gimli Glider.I don't remember if it was a Boeing 757 or 767, but either way it wasn't the perfect way to end a flight, but I guess it was better than the alternative!
      Without checking, I believe the pilot in command recalled the abandoned WWII airstrip from his training days and utilized a side slip to descend rapidly enough to get the aircraft onto the occupied strip.

      Lest we forget.....



      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC
    • AnotherKevin wrote:

      rafe wrote:

      AnotherKevin wrote:

      rafe wrote:

      Seconds (unit of time) are very much part of the metric system, are they not?
      They are indeed. But seconds of impulse (dividing pounds of force by pounds of mass and saying that the units cancel) is just WRONG.
      But then, "pounds of mass" is an oxymoron.
      I oughta slug you one for that!
      Ouch. But that pun is way too subtle for maybe 99.999% of the population.